National Day speech template (China)
Published 10 October 2026 · Date checked on 5 October 2026 · Written by the Cue Card Converter team at EventProgrammer, event production professionals
National Day, Guóqìng Jié, is celebrated in China on 1 October. It marks the founding of the People's Republic of China, proclaimed in Beijing on 1 October 1949. It is a public holiday, and with adjusted weekends it usually creates a week-long break often called Golden Week, when many people travel or visit family. Crowds gather at dawn in Tiananmen Square for the flag-raising ceremony, and streets and buildings are decorated with national flags and flower displays.
- Date
- October 1
- Next dates
- Friday 1 October 2027
Sunday 1 October 2028
Monday 1 October 2029 - Country
- China
- Tone
- Celebratory
- Typical events
- Chinese embassy and consulate receptions, Chinese community associations and student societies abroad, company gatherings and cultural evenings held in the days around 1 October.
- Length
- 177 spoken words · about 1.5 min at 130 words a minute · 4 cue cards
The National Day speech, ready as cue cards
A complete host script in 4 cards, about 1.5 minutes of speaking. Open it in the editor to add your names, change the card size or highlights, and print.
- WELCOME, FRIENDS1 / 4
Good evening, and welcome to {Venue}. I'm {Your name}, and on behalf of {Organisation} it's a pleasure to celebrate National Day with you. Some of you are far from home tonight, and some of you are here as friends of China. Either way, you are in good company. - THE FIRST OF OCTOBER2 / 4
On 1 October 1949, the founding of the People's Republic of China was proclaimed in Beijing. In Tiananmen Square, crowds gather at dawn on this day to watch the national flag being raised. For many families, the date also begins a week of holidays, travel and reunions. - ANTHEM AND GUEST OF HONOUR3 / 4
Please stand for the national anthem, the March of the Volunteers.
[NATIONAL ANTHEM]
Thank you, please be seated. We are delighted that {Guest of honour, title} has joined us this evening. Please welcome our guest to the lectern.
[APPLAUSE – GUEST OF HONOUR SPEAKS] - A TOAST TO FRIENDSHIP4 / 4
Thank you for those kind words. Now, please raise your glass. To the people of China, to the friendships that connect our communities, and to a happy holiday week for everyone celebrating. Gānbēi. I'm told dinner is ready, so please enjoy the food and the evening.
Red is used only for names, titles, organisations, dates, times and section headings. Replace the words in {curly brackets} with your own details; lines in [SQUARE BRACKETS] are stage directions and are not read aloud.
How to adapt it
- Guóqìng kuàilè means 'Happy National Day'. Practise it with a Chinese-speaking colleague and use it in your welcome or closing; guests appreciate the effort.
- Display the national flag correctly near the stage and choose red and gold decorations. If you play the March of the Volunteers, use an official recording and ask guests to stand.
- In some years the Mid-Autumn Festival falls in or close to the National Day holiday. If it does, mention both in the welcome and consider serving mooncakes.
- Audiences abroad may include guests from different parts of the Chinese-speaking world, with different histories and views. Keep the programme celebratory and cultural, and leave out current politics.
Print and rehearse
“Edit and print these cards” opens the script in the free cue card maker, where you can choose A5, 4 × 6 or 3 × 5 inch cards, print several per sheet with cut lines or export PDF, PowerPoint and Word, and rehearse full screen in practice mode. To write your own programme around it, see how to write an MC script and the run of show template.
Sources
Date and background checked on 5 October 2026 against: National Day. Customs vary between organisations and regions; always follow the official programme of your event.
More China speech templates
- National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims · December 13